The Darkest Nights
by Ziirroh
Summary: There are Humans and there are Faunus, then there are the Cursed. Folk who have the potential to become the very monsters they fight. Ruby Rose has been cursed with a Grimm since birth. Within her body is a constant struggle for control. She hopes that she can keep her curse hidden from others, but some nights it overcomes her.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Grimm, the creatures of darkness; monsters of destruction. Soulless entities that thrive to eliminate man from existence. When man was born from dust, these harbingers of fear sought to destroy everything and anything that pertained to mankind. However, man was persistent and passionate. Using their resourcefulness, mankind forged a new power to combat the darkness. Dubbing this newfound force of nature as 'Dust'. Now equipped to defeat and defend from the Grimm, man was able to create a temporary peace, build civilizations, and most importantly continue living. Of course this did not come without repercussion, for the Grimm were just as resourceful.

It is lost in the history of mankind when or how the first event occurred, but the Grimm became capable of infecting their darkness into a person. As if in retaliation to their dwindling numbers, the Grimm evolved to remedy the loss. Humans and Faunus alike could be cursed, they would lose all sense of self and become a creature of destruction over time. Although man was stubborn and able to weaken the curse, it could never truly be eliminated.

Those infected with the darkness were simply labelled as 'Cursed'. Cursed ones often displayed traits specific to those Grimm they were cursed by. Growing bone like masks over their faces, their eyes a glowing crimson, and sometimes a black cloud would surround them. Depending on which creature they took after, a Cursed one would behave similarly to it in animalistic ways.

There are various ways in which one could become Cursed. The most common way to receive it is through a bite. Though wounds inflicted by claw, tusk, stinger, etc. are not capable of cursing a person. Due to the manner it is received, those who are bitten, with the help of modern medicine and Dust, are able to have the effects of a curse counteracted.

Another method which a person could become Cursed is through the literal sense of the word. Although it does not happen often, unlike getting bit. Grimm that are not able to bite are more likely to use this approach. This form of the curse is actually easier to control, as there isn't any actual darkness within the person's body. However they often display having a weaker Aura than average.

A final process for becoming cursed is even rarer than the previously mentioned method. It only occurs when new life is introduced into the world, though the effects aren't immediately noticeable. A child born with the curse, or Grimm-born. Their body housing a being with a soul, and one without, often clashing for ownership.

A Grimm-born's strife often ends undesirably for the child of Dust. In the archives of history, there has never been any record of a Grimm-born that has overcome the dark creature within. Often, tales of that kind would end with the Grimm usurping control over the shared vessel, or the body being destroyed by the two conflicting hosts.

Grimm-born were feared of, since they were part of a monster. There was worry that the strength one had when their more Grimm-like qualities come to the surface, provides the Grimm with an aura they can use against mankind. With this fear there came lack of reason. With this lack of reason, man believed that the best 'cure' for a Grimm-born should be death.

It was not unreasonable, then, for a young mother to want to protect her child from such dangers. When Summer Rose had discovered her youngest daughter, Ruby, to be a Cursed-born she was fearful. Not of her child, rather for her. She was aware of that the rest of the world would see her daughter as a monster. Not wanting the government to discover Ruby and take matters into their own hands, she came to the decision to hide. After much debate with her husband, and her eldest child Yang, they eventually came to an agreement. Summer would take Ruby with her to an old family cabin, secluded in a forested area far from the city, raising her until she was able to control the creature inside. For years the two lived relatively in peace, with a rare visit from Yang and her father. Ruby was, for the most part, able to keep the creature within her from surfacing. However, on certain nights the curse seemed stronger, as Ruby would be unable to contain the beast any longer. It was on one such night that Ruby's view of the world changed, and one of the many reasons she became a Huntress.

* * *

******A/N: So, this is an AU a friend had created a while back on tumblr. I took an interest in it and promised to write something for it. Then I kinda forgot about it for a while, until a tumblr post of us conversing the idea reminded me of it. It would be nice to see my friend's AU gain more notice. Of course I would love to hear feedback on what readers think of this AU, since it's just a newborn concept. **

******Not sure how often I will update this since I've got other series going on, and then there's life. So if you are interested please be patient with me.**

******So yeah. Reviews are appreciated and thank you for taking the time to read this.**


	2. A Night to Look Forward To?

**A/N: Okay, you have been patient with me, I truly appreciate that. So I tried my best to make this chapter's word limit longer than I usually write. I think my highest was somewhere around 3k words, but I'd have to say my average is prolly 2k. This one hits a lil over 5k words, yey. I think I'll try to make each chapter stay around that amount, since I'm gonna make ya'll wait forever for each update. Honestly I'm a bit nervous, I don't feel confident writing all of a sudden. It's weird. Depending on how readers receive this chapter, I may continue with this or give up on it. Anywho, please tell me how I did and what should be altered if something doesn't seem quite right.**

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The moon hung high in the night sky, its shattered pieces somewhat fading to blend with the inky darkness surrounding it. Ruby sat on the wide sill of the large window that dominated the area between team RWBY's bunk beds. It was mesmerizing to her, watching the moon fall apart like that. For any other person it probably wouldn't have garnered much interest, but for Ruby the moon served as an important memento. Closing her eyes, she sighed in content at this peaceful moment, enjoying the stillness and the light breathing of her sleeping teammates.

It had been nearly a year now since team RWBY had formed on that fateful initiation day. Together the girls had progressed considerably in their strength and knowledge, though there was still much more to be acquired. Ruby had grown out of her childish behavior, for the most part. She had matured in many ways, but still liked to retain bits of innocence, before it would come to a time where it no longer exist. As a leader she knew she would have to set aside her wants for the needs of others, but if she could help it, she'd make some things last.

Hearing a strangled snort, Ruby looked up to her sister's bunk. The first thing she noticed was the mess of blonde curls that cascaded off the edge of the bed. Yang laid sprawled out on her bed, somehow comfortable even with the sheets and pillows having been mostly kicked off. Her soft snoring a sign that she still remained oblivious to the environment around her.

Looking at the bed below, she could see Blake's feline ears outlined by the illumination from the moon. Ever since the team had found out about her Faunus heritage, Blake had felt more comfortable removing her bow while in their room. Other than team JNPR, no one else in the academy was aware of it. One of her ears twitched ever so slightly as one of Yang's snores became particularly loud. Ruby always found it adorable when Blake's ears did that.

Finally her gaze rested upon the final member of team RWBY. Long silvery tresses were a beacon in the dark room, the moonlight giving it an otherworldly glow. Weiss laid down facing towards Ruby, so it allowed her to be able to study the older girl's features without worrying about a callous remark from the icy heiress.

Her gaze first observed Weiss' neck. Well defined collarbones under that perfect milky white skin was quite the scandal, at least that's what Yang said when she was teasing the pale girl one day. The memory made Ruby smile. Yang could say the silliest things sometimes.

Ruby then regarded Weiss' lips. They weren't ever covered in lipstick, at least not from what Ruby could tell. The tone was always a healthy paleness that only seemed suitable for Weiss. She saw Weiss' lips twitch slightly before forming a small smile. She's probably having a pleasant dream, that's good.

Traveling further up still, Ruby observed the single scar that marred Weiss' otherwise perfect complexion. Though Ruby never viewed it as an unsightly mark. To her it was proof that Weiss wasn't just some pushover, and took her career as a Huntress seriously. In fact, Ruby deduced it as being some kind of a reminder. For what it would remind Weiss, she wasn't sure, but it reminded herself that Hunters and Huntresses were not immortal. That if she screwed up as a leader on an actual mission it wouldn't be the only scar to mark the girl.

Without really thinking about it, Ruby moved off the window sill and quietly approached Weiss' bed, taking a seat at the edge of it. The pale girl stirred somewhat as the bed shifted to accommodate Ruby's weight. The unknown intrusion made the girl frown slightly, but she remained asleep.

Ruby ran her fingers through the snowy locks of hair, doing it very gently so not to awaken her. Weiss' hair was incredibly soft, and as Ruby would let the strands slip through her fingers she pretended she was touching silk. The glow it maintained from the moonlight's gleam was entrancing, making Ruby imagine that she was holding stardust. Something so rare and precious that if she were to look away it would disappear. Not Weiss though, she would never abandon them just like that.

Ruby hummed a lullaby quietly to herself as she watched Weiss relax into the caress with a soft sigh. However the calming moment would not last as a familiar presence gripped at Ruby's chest. Immediately recoiling her hand from Weiss, she stood up and moved away from the bed frantically. Panting heavily, Ruby grasped at the tightness in her chest vainly.

_No, no, NO. Not right now! _She nearly growled as she thought this.

Rushing to the small bathroom they shared, Ruby quickly closed the door with a quiet click before turning on the light. Her first action was to look into the mirror over the sink. In the reflection was Ruby, but she was not entirely herself. Her hair had grown a bit longer than its usual length, gaining a darker shade to cover up the red streaks as well. Her silver eyes had a reddish tint to them, which only seem to be spreading the more she looked at them. At seeing her image her anxiety increased, causing the process to speed up slightly. She saw her teeth gradually becoming more pointed, turning into sharp fangs. She could feel another being prodding at her mind, seemingly asking for permission to be let in.

_We are not doing this now. We've been over this! _Ruby hissed at the presence in her mind.

Closing her eyes she concentrated on her breathing, slowly counting from ten as she was taught. Soon the other presence left and her heart rate began to slow. After repeating the routine a few times, she felt the tightness in her chest loosen loosen, and her breathing returned to normal. Looking into the mirror once more what she saw reflected on its surface was a normal teenage girl. No redness in the eyes, or longer hair, and her teeth were their normal rounded shape. A sheen of sweat covered her skin, the only evidence of her episode ever having occurred. After taking a shaky breath Ruby turned on the faucet and washed her face off with cold water over the sink. Feeling much better she flicked off the light before carefully opening the door.

Peeking into the room, she inspected it with bated breath, watching, waiting for someone to say something. However nothing came, much to her relief, and she proceeded into the room. Deciding that she had enough excitement for the night, Ruby clambered up to her bed suspended over her partner. Though she took one final look at the slumbering heiress as she did so. She felt a presence tug at her chest and prod at her mind again, making her grimace at it in annoyance. Climbing into bed she laid on her back and stared at the ceiling, for how long she stayed like that she didn't know, but eventually her eyelids began drooping shut and she allowed exhaustion to submerge her into slumber.

* * *

Ruby awoke slowly, her eyes fluttering open as she lay on her bed. She felt a kind of calm on only gets after a dreamless slumber, feeling her chest rise and fall with each gentle breath. After a moment, she pushed herself up, moving to the edge of the bed before carefully climbing off. Seeing the others still resting, Ruby made her way to the bathroom to freshen up and change.

After a quick shower she reentered the room dressed in her school uniform. Going over to one of the large wardrobes all four girls shared, she retrieved her beloved cloak. She was glad headmaster Ozpin allowed students to wear accessories along with their uniforms. What one wore could tell a lot about that person; ranging from the importance of the item to just a mere necessity to wear it. Perhaps it was simply Ozpin's way to make students feel unique. Either way it was still a nice gesture.

Clasping her cloak onto her uniform, Ruby turned around prepared to awaken the others. She saw that one of them had already awoken. Blake sat up in her bed, still under her covers, and looking ahead at the wall blearily. Her feline ears were flopped adorably atop her head, perking up when she did a full body stretch as she crawled across the bed. Ruby giggled lightly at the sight. Blake's stretch had an uncanny resemblance to an actual cat.

Ever since the incident with Roman at the docks, Blake had become more open to leaving her bow off when in their dorm. It took a lot of encouragement from the team, it wasn't until Weiss said something about it being uncomfortable for her ears that Blake conceded. Though she probably regrets the fact that Yang tickles the fur around her ears occasionally, just to tease her.

The soft noise of Ruby's laugh caused Blake's feline ears to flick about, searching for the source of the sound. She looked over at Ruby, her eyes still crusted by the sands of slumber. After a brief moment she registered her leader's face and gave a weary smile.

"Morning Ruby." A long yawn followed after her greeting.

"Heheh. Morning Blake!"

The older girl smiled at her once again before proceeding to the bathroom, lazily picking up her uniform along the way. Looking to the bed above Blake's, Ruby set to work in waking up her sister.

Yang was a particularly difficult person to deal with in the morning. Luckily they were sisters, so Ruby knew several tricks to use in order to wake her up. Ruby gently prodded at the blonde, causing her sister to stir and groan.

"Yaaang~ Wakey, wakey." She tried in a normal tone.

Yang merely grunted at her, before turning over on her side, trying to face away from Ruby. The young girl wouldn't be deterred though, using the opportunity to push Yang a bit farther as she rolled over.

"Time to rise up sunshine!" She called out eagerly as her sister toppled over the edge of the bunk and landed on the carpeted floor with a soft thud.

Pushing herself up with a moan, Yang glared at her little sister. The younger smiling all too innocently at her.

"Geez sis, thanks for the wake-up call." She growled.

Ruby only continued to smile as she replied jovially. "No problem sis! It's the least I could do as a responsible leader."

Grumbling to herself as she rose off the ground, Yang went about the room to gather her uniform and the various products she used for her hair. Yang was always a stickler when it came to her hair, so she kept her personal products in a bag to prevent anyone else from using them by accident. When Blake exited the bathroom, now wearing her bow, Yang immediately rushed by her to seize it. Blake set her pajamas aside and went about tidying her bed a bit. After finishing that chore she grabbed a book from one of their few shelves and deposited herself on her bed, opening it and delving into a world of fiction.

Ruby then turned her attention to the last slumbering member of the team. Her partner rested fitfully, having not stirred once the whole morning, despite all the noise from waking up Yang. After being a team for this long, Ruby had grown accustomed to everyone's morning rituals. Blake usually awoke on her own, while Yang needed a bit of coaxing. However with Weiss she found that awakening her wasn't all that difficult to achieve.

Ruby sat at the edge of her partner's bed gently, reaching out a hand to bring the girl out of the grasp of dormancy. Shaking her shoulder softly, Weiss began to stir, a single eye fluttered open to gaze lazily up at Ruby.

"It's time to wake up now Weiss." She said soothingly.

"Mmh, morning Ruby." She said sleepily.

The pale girl slowly rose up, stretching her arms above her head before lowering them to stifle a yawn.

What Ruby had discovered with Weiss was that a loud, abrasive wake-up call wasn't what she required in order to arise from her deep slumber. She had learned that the hard way when Weiss threw her whistle out their large window one morning. Unable to find it, Ruby timidly awoke the stern heiress the next morning. All that was needed was a light urging, finding the older girl in much better spirits through this method of awakening.

It seemed that due to Weiss' upbringing in a mansion, there were maids that would come to her room to awaken her. Since it was an everyday occurrence, it was something she had grown accustomed to. Ruby didn't mind falling into the routine. After all it made Ruby the first person Weiss saw every morning, and Ruby was the only person that got the privilege to awaken her.

Ruby's thoughts were interrupted by the emergence of her boisterous sister. Fully dressed in her uniform, along with her black fingerless gloves. Yang carried her hair products over to her bag and arranged them accordingly. While doing so she took a glance at the Red and White pair, taking note of the much kinder awakening Weiss was receiving.

"Oh? So the princess gets special treatment, while I'm tossed to the side like a salad." She said in a teasing tone.

The blonde feigned hurt, as she clutched a hand over her heart dramatically.

"My own blood and kin, how could you?"

Ruby giggled at Yang's antics, while Weiss stared blankly at her, unamused at the 'princess' remark. Blake smiled in amusement, though her eyes were still glued to the book.

"Sis, stop being such a drama llama." Ruby giggled. "It's not my fault you won't get up on the first try."

Yang chuckled with her, dropping the act. "Well, sorry I need my beauty sleep."

"Beauty sleep, huh?" Blake stated with a quirk of her brow.

"Yep." Yang replied, now moving her attention onto Blake, trying to taunt her out of reading.

Ruby watched the two in amusement before the sound of someone clearing their throat caught her attention. Turning around she saw Weiss looking at her expectantly. Realizing the implication she rose off the bed to allow Weiss free movement to get off herself. The heiress moved to a wardrobe to obtain her uniform then entered the bathroom.

Once everyone had done their morning rituals, it didn't take long for them to tidy up the beds and gather supplies before heading off to their first class together. Upon leaving, Ruby knocked on the door across the hall from theirs, it opened to reveal Jaune dressed in his uniform and prepared for class. Since the other members of team JNPR had different first period classes deeper in the academy Jaune often left with team RWBY, as he shared the same class with them.

"Hey girls, good morning to all of you." He nodded to them.

Everyone gave their respective greetings to him as they all traveled across the campus to the cafeteria for breakfast. Soon the group fell into their usual routine, Jaune, Yang, and Ruby talking about upcoming events or dreading the day's exams. While Weiss and Blake spoke about tactics for missions or suggesting novels to each other.

The rest of the day went as it usually did; Port told his stories, Oobleck zoomed about the room detailing historic events, notes had been taken, doodles were drawn, and students stressed over exams. The only slight variant to this daily routine were the random field trips, which Ruby was thankful for. It allowed her the opportunity to fight with her darling Crescent Rose, instead of awkwardly trying to make small talk with other students.

It was during their lunch hour that Ruby's cheerful attitude seemed to take a turn. Team JNPR and RWBY sat at their usual table, an occasional visit from another student chatting with them briefly before joining another group. They conversed about various things, usually those that pertained to events earlier in the day, studies, or what to do on the weekend. As Nora was retelling another variation of her recurring dream, another student came up to the group in an outburst of excitement.

"Hey guys! Are you going to watch the shooting stars up on the roof?"

Nora paused her story and looked at the newcomer in earnest, her teal eyes shining with interest. The rest of the group looked at the messenger with curiosity, except for two distressed pairs of silver and lilac eyes.

"Shooting stars? Tonight?" Jaune asked dumbly.

"No, not tonight. It's going to occur a couple days from now, after the weekend. The headmaster is even allowing students to stay up past curfew to watch!" The student exclaimed enthusiastically.

"It doesn't sound like a bad idea to me." Blake said nonchalantly, surprisingly her attention was not on the two books before her.

"It would be lovely to be able to watch such an event take place." Pyrrha said with light enthusiasm.

"It's going to be great, alright! There will be a new moon that night, so there's no light to bother us from viewing the spectacular sight." At this, the student saw someone else to bother as they left the table in a rush to flag down another student.

"Well, that was certainly…enlightening." Weiss said with derision.

"Oh Ren! We should totally go watch the stars fall from the sky! I bet it'll be amazing, maybe even better than when I broke one of Weiss' Dust bottles. Man was that one heck of a light show!" Nora bounced giddily in her seat as she rambled on.

"I still can't believe we're still alive after that." Weiss stated with an annoyed breath.

"Sure, Nora, we'll go watch. It should be a nice experience…hopefully." Ren said with a tired sigh.

As the others delved back into their conversations and other activities, Weiss couldn't help but notice the lack of noise from a certain brawler, as well as their fearless leader. Looking in the direction of the two sisters she caught them whispering to each other. Whatever discussion they were having seemed pretty serious, since their expressions appeared solemn. Feeling a little irritated at being left out of whatever they were discussing she called out to them.

"What are you two dunces talking about over there?" She gave them a pointed look.

Having caught their attention the two girls looked up at her. Ruby quickly looked away as soon as she made eye contact, but the elder grinned at her innocently.

"Oh nothing. Just talking about the shooting stars and all." Yang replied.

Weiss squinted at the blonde suspiciously, not quite buying the excuse.

"Well what are you talking about that can't be shared with the rest of the group?" Her voiced raised demandingly, drawing the attention of the others at the table.

Yang chuckled nervously, looking to her sister, who was looking at her wide-eyed, before turning back to Weiss.

"Uh, well, ya see we were, ummm…" Yang stumbled over her thoughts as she tried to stall.

"Come on now, out with it!" Weiss looked smugly at Yang. She knew she had her cornered.

After a tense silence Yang finally caved.

"Alright, alright! I was just telling Ruby how to make the moves on you when we go watch the shooting stars." Yang said quickly, a playful smirk apparent on her features.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!" Ruby whined pathetically before burying her face in her hands.

At this Weiss began to blush furiously, before locking a mean glare on Yang.

"Wha- How dare you insinuate such a thing! Y-You buffoon!" Weiss screeched at the blonde brawler, trying to swipe at her from across the table.

Yang leaned away just barely out of the frustrated heiress' reach, laughing all the while. The others attempted to stifle their snickering, Jaune being unsuccessful and earning the angry girl's attention next. Meanwhile Ruby was blushing just as furiously as Weiss, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment. Of all the things her sister had to say, it had to be something so awkward. Fortunately for Ruby she didn't have to stick around long as the chime sounded for the end of lunch. Using her Semblance, Ruby rushed out of the cafeteria for her next class. Good thing she didn't share this class with Weiss, otherwise things would have been uncomfortable.

As Ruby entered the classroom she found it empty of students, only the professor was present. The professor was busy writing lecture notes on the digital blackboard, only briefly looking away from their work to acknowledge Ruby. The young girl plopped down in her seat, expelling a heavy sigh. Thanks to Yang, now her thoughts were scrambled.

Ruby would be lying if she said she didn't like Weiss in that way. At first she never even considered Weiss as a potential love interest. Heck, she didn't even know she liked girls until she met Weiss. Although their relationship was rocky to begin with, somehow the two managed to put aside their differences, using their faults to support and learn from one another.

In all honesty, Ruby herself didn't even know when she started viewing Weiss in such a way. It just sort of happened. No fancy fanfare or dramatic realizations. It was actually Yang who pointed out that she was crushing on the heiress, often teasing her about it. Yang, no matter how much she kidded over the whole thing, remained loyal about not telling the icy girl. With Ruby's 'condition' it would never work anyway, and the young girl didn't want to lose the friendship they had.

Speaking of her 'condition', Ruby was glad Yang came up with a plausible distraction. Before Weiss had gotten on to them it was that exact thing the two sisters were discussing. Ruby sighed heavily once more, earning the attention of the professor.

"Is there something the matter, Miss Rose?" Her professor asked with a quirked brow.

"Ah, nothing's wrong, I'm just tired is all." Ruby assured the teacher.

Finding the answer acceptable they continued their work. Ruby internally sighed in relief, she didn't want to have a professor pry into her situation.

Returning her thoughts to the conversation she had with Yang, Ruby reminisced the memory with a frown.

"Hey sis, you gonna be okay?" A concerned Yang asked quietly as the random student ranted about the stars.

"Yeah, it's just really lame that I'm going to miss out on the shooting stars with everyone." Ruby sighed in defeat.

"I'm worried what everyone's going to think when I don't show up on the roof. I can't just tell them I'm going to run around the woods as a..." Ruby's brow furrowed heavily from the anxiety, she didn't need to finish her sentence for Yang to understand.

"Don't worry about it RuRu, your big sis will figure something out for ya." Yang wrapped an arm around her shoulder reassuringly.

"Thanks Yang." Yang ruffled her hair playfully.

"Okay, so we'll just use the same old excuse of going on our sisterly bonding camping trip." She said assuredly. "It's worked every time before, so why wouldn't it work now? Besides, we have the headmaster of Beacon backing us, so there's nothing to worry about."

Ruby slouched in her chair, staring up at the ceiling in disdain. Ruby still felt paranoid that it wouldn't work or something would go wrong. If it weren't for her uncle Qrow's and Ozpin's past affiliation, it would be difficult for her to get by in the Academy. Outside of family, Ozpin was one of the only other people that knew of Ruby's situation. It made it easier for her to be missing a couple of nights when the headmaster was your alibi. Before she could dwell longer on these thoughts several students began trickling in, noisily chattering among one another. Ruby immediately sat up straight in her chair, putting on the façade that she was perfectly fine and high-spirited.

_I'll talk to Yang about it later._ She thought determinedly.

Classes were over, and for the rest of the evening all Ruby wanted to do was find Yang, talk about the plan, and sleep. Though knowing her partner, Weiss would probably try to drag her off to the library to study or finish assignments. Ruby never minded their study sessions, since she got to be alone with Weiss, but this time it would be somewhat of an inconvenience.

Entering her dorm, Ruby was surprised to find no one else was in the room. Usually there would at least be one of her team members doing some sort of activity as she entered. Sweeping her gaze around the room, she went to knock on the bathroom door, making sure if maybe someone was in there. After waiting a moment without any response she opened the door to find the small area empty.

Standing there a bit dumbfounded, Ruby finally moved over toward her wardrobe to change into her pajamas. Since none of the others were here she didn't need to bother walking to the bathroom to change. Hanging up her cloak, she shut the wardrobe and looked around the room once more.

_Guess it wouldn't hurt to take that nap first._

With a small shrug she moved over to her bunk, preparing to climb up when a thought struck her. Gazing down at her partner's bed an idea sprouted in Ruby's mind. She blushed a little at the thought of sleeping in her partner's bed, blushing even more at the way she worded it. Taking a few deep calming breaths she made a decision.

Ruby grabbed her pillow from her bunk before falling forward onto Weiss' bed. She clutched her pillow tightly, burying her face in it to hide from her own embarrassment. It's not like the bed was any different from hers, since all their beds were the same, but the knowledge that it was Weiss' made it feel much more comfy than hers. Pulling her pillow down off her face a bit, Ruby looked around the empty room.

_This is how Weiss sees the room. It feels so different looking at it from down here._

Ruby squirmed a bit as she tried to curl herself around the covers to be comfortable. It felt a bit odd sleeping on the bottom bunk. Ruby's bed being suspended by thick ropes made it sensitive to any movement, but in Weiss' bed there was none of that swaying that she had grown accustomed to when she shifted. Finding a comfortable position Ruby sighed contentedly into her pillow, still holding the cushion close to her chest. She closed her eyes, briefly fluttering them open once in a while to see if anyone would walk through the door. Eventually her eyelids became too heavy to hold open, and soon she entered dormancy.

* * *

Trapped.

That was the first thought to enter Ruby's mind when she found herself running past trees late at night. However, she wasn't in control of her body, something else was. Panic was the first thing to overcome her state of mind when she realized she wasn't dreaming. She had attempted at wresting control for a while, but every attempt was futile. Whatever it was that was holding her hostage in her own mind wouldn't give up that easily.

Figuring that there wasn't much else she could do, she allowed whatever it was to continue its course. She observed the scenery that rushed around her, maybe there would be some sort of landmark that she could recognize. What she ended up finding instead was something much more distressing. Everywhere she looked there were always a pair of glowing red eyes that would appear occasionally. Eyes that could only belong to two things: an angry Yang or the Grimm. She really wished it was the former, but knew better than to pretend Yang was pranking her.

Once again she was in a panic. Whoever or whatever had control of her body was possibly being chased by Grimm, and Ruby didn't fancy the idea of becoming monster chow. She tried again to take control, desperately trying to power her way into control, but a force pushed her back down. She then paused any further attempts when a low, grumbling voice echoed in her mind.

_This is mine now. I earned the right to keep it. You can't have it back. It's mine. Not yours. So go away._

Ruby had no idea who the voice belonged to, nor did she know where it came from. It resonated all around her very soul when it spoke. There was no discernible gender to it, but because it sounded deep-toned so Ruby decided it would be safe to assume male. The voice seemed familiar to her, even though she was positive that this was her first time ever hearing it. Coming out of her stupor she persisted yet again for control, not allowing the stranger's voice to unnerve her. She heard a growl then, but not within the mind, rather the sound came from her body. Strange, how was her voice able to sound so low and guttural?

A long howl pierced through the silent night air, followed by several others after it. They were the cries of Beowolves, Ruby recognized them from the movies and shows she's seen on television. It was then that the trees stopped rushing by as her body halted, and the same howl sounded from it. Ruby froze in terror, comprehending the implications this brought about. As she felt her body surge forward once again she watched on as her realization became truer. She sensed her body coming to a slow trot as a clearing deep in the woods became visible. It was just a small area that contained a pond. Still pacing onward until they approached the pond, she was forced to gaze down at its reflective surface. Against a bleached bone mask, all she could see were glowing red eyes staring back at her.


	3. Don't Worry About The Dark

**A/N: Lil thing I wanted to address first before ya start. Thank you to the folks that left reviews. It means a lot to me when I know you're enjoying something I've written. Ya'll make me wanna bear hug ya. Feel free to leave me with some constructive criticism tho. Okay. I'm done. Go ahead and read now.**

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Yang and Weiss travelled through Beacon's halls back towards their dorm. However the trip was not a quiet one.

"Oh relax princess. You're overthinking things." Yang sighed exhaustedly.

Ever since the incident in the cafeteria, Weiss hadn't given rest to the topic regarding herself and Ruby. She had been badgering Yang the whole time, making the brawler almost wished she had used a lamer excuse. However, a grumpy heiress was entertaining and still fun to tease.

"I will relax, once you apologize for implying such lewd lies!" Weiss huffed.

"Oh, come on! It's not like anybody got hurt or something." Yang said as an attempt to wave off her incessant scolding.

"No. Nobody got hurt, but you embarrassed both me and Ruby." Weiss crossed her arms, looking at her teammate expectantly.

Yang gave the girl an incredulous look; Weiss returned it with a demanding glare.

"All right! Fine!" Yang raised her arms up in surrender before quickly dropping them to her sides.

"I apologize for embarrassing you princess." Yang drawled out unenthusiastically.

Weiss gave her a curt nod, uncrossing her arms as she sighed.

"I suppose that will have to do."

She then swiftly got up close to Yang's face, causing the taller girl to flinch back reflexively at the accusing finger pointing at her.

"But don't think I haven't forgotten that you still need to apologize to Ruby as well."

Yang grimaced at the pale girl's insistence.

"Geez! I got it Weiss. Get off my case already."

As the door to their room came into view Yang had perked up at being able to get this over with quickly.

"Well, Ruby should already be back from her class, so I'll go apologize to her right away."

Yang used her scroll to gain entrance to the dorm, grabbing the door handle eagerly and twisted it to open the door. She made a few large strides into the room, with Weiss close on her heels, before speaking in an obnoxiously loud voice.

"Hey Rubes~ your big sis has come to apolo-"

Before Yang could finish her zealous outburst, she felt a petite hand had clamped over her mouth. She looked back at Weiss in question, who jerked her head and motioned her eyes toward the direction of her bunk. Following her gaze, Yang saw Ruby sleeping soundlessly. However, instead of being up on her bed fort she was laying on Weiss' bed.

When it seemed that Yang would no longer make any more unnecessary noises, Weiss removed her hand from over the blonde's mouth. She looked at her hand gingerly, before whispering to Yang in admonishment.

"Be quiet you dunce." She hissed quietly.

Yang nodded at her absentmindedly as she tip-toed to her slumbering sister. Ruby was most likely in one of her heavier naps, as she didn't wake up from the noise earlier. Yang adored her sister silently, as she was currently cuddling close to a pillow; her face partially buried in it.

Yang then remembered Weiss was in the room. She began to worry that the heiress behind her was seething at Ruby, having rested on her bed without permission. However, when she turned to face her teammate she was surprised that Weiss' expression held no malice. Her earlier grouchiness had completely vanished, a softer look in her eyes compared to the sharpness it held previously.

Weiss began approaching the bunk, all the while still gazing at their slumbering leader.

"You're not gonna push her off are ya?" Yang asked with a tone of unease.

Weiss glanced at the blonde out of the corner of one eye before looking up at Ruby's bed.

"I'm not that cruel Yang." She said as she pulled off the blanket from the top bunk.

She used the soft material to cover Ruby's body, and Yang couldn't help but feel slightly jealous at the gesture. She felt that her older sister privileges were being taken from her. Ruby remained oblivious to it all, snuggling further into the pillow she held as warmth soon enveloped her body.

Weiss then proceeded to set down her book bag and gathered up a change of clothes. She headed toward the bathroom, a baffled Yang watching her as she passed by. Weiss paused in the doorway of the bathroom; turning her head to look back at her.

"She can rest on my bed for now, but if she does wake up before I get out you should have her sleep on her own bed."

Weiss felt tempted to raise a hand to act as if she was blocking a bright light, as Yang seemed to have brightened the room with a beaming grin.

"Awww! You really do care Weiss." She cooed.

"Oh hush, you. Thanks to your boisterous entrance, I've got to clean your drool off of my hand." She waved the unsanitary appendage in the air.

"Love ya too princess!" Yang teased jovially.

Weiss simply huffed at her and closed the door behind her as she went to take her shower. Yang waited for the shower to start before changing into her pajamas.

She moved over toward her sister; sitting on the edge of the bed as close as she could get without waking her. Carefully, she reached out a hand and tucked a few strands of hair behind Ruby's ear. This caused her to shift in her sleep, exposing more of her head from out of the pillow.

Yang then began to brush her fingers through the dark locks of hair. She easily untangled a few potential knots as she combed through it. Ruby seemed to lean into each stroke, much like a puppy wanting to be petted more.

"Heh. You dork, making such sly moves." Yang said teasingly to her sleeping sister.

"Y'know, I was worried that your love for Weiss was always going to be one-sided." Yang continued.

"It looks like I had nothing to really worry about though." Yang smiled down at Ruby as she slept on, oblivious to her sister's conversation.

"I hope you're having happy dreams. Dust knows you deserve them."

Before she could speak again the door to the hallway clicked, and shortly after Blake emerged from behind it. After closing the door she immediately set down her school bag on a desk nearby. Blake promptly removed her bow, sighing in content as she allowed her feline ears freedom from their bindings.

Yang shifted slightly on the bed, a slight creak being heard from her movement. This caused Blake's kitty ears to perk toward the direction of the noise, and Yang had to resist the desire to touch them. Curious golden eyes met admiring lilac before noticing the mess of brunette hair poking out of the covers on Weiss' bed.

"Since you two are in here, I would like to believe Weiss is in the shower." Blake stated.

"Great deduction skills Sherlock." Yang praised her with a thumbs up.

"How is Ruby still on Weiss' bed? I expected that she would have kicked her off of it already, or still be scolding her." Blake walked over to the bunk and stood over the two sisters.

"Haha! I was surprised too. Apparently Weiss can no longer be dubbed the 'Ice Queen' anymore." Yang joked.

"Well, ice eventually melts." Blake said with a smirk.

"Oooooh! That's a good one." Yang chuckled.

The sound of running water stopped at this point, and shortly after the bathroom door swung open as Weiss reentered the room dressed in her night gown. She gave a nod of acknowledgement to Blake, who returned the gesture with her own. Blake then grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom to quickly change. Weiss glanced at Yang still seated on her bed before collecting some textbooks and note paper. She sat at the desk between the two bunk beds and began studying.

Blake emerged soon enough and went by the bookshelf to grab a novel. She then settled on her bed, sitting with her back against the wall and her legs slightly propped up as she opened the book and began to read. Yang continued to smooth out Ruby's hair for a while longer.

It was silent, save the sounds of pages being turned and the crickets from outside. Otherwise there were no conversations, no music, nor any other sound being made. It was rare to have a silence like this. To be able to enjoy each other's presence without having to actually do anything.

* * *

Ruby awoke slowly, feeling unusually warm and sensing another weight beside her. Her eye lids fluttered open with rapid blinks; she was still feeling groggy having just woken from her nap. Still clutching her pillow, she moved one arm to rub at her eyes. As the veil of blurriness was lifted, and her vision became clearer, she was able to register her immediate surroundings.

Beside her she could tell another person was under the covers. The slight movement of breathing making the lump gently rise and fall was indication of that. Ruby was utterly confused. She sat up and looked around the room to find it completely dark, save for the bit of light coming from the moon through the window. She didn't realize she had fallen asleep that long. What she intended to be a short nap did not go exactly as she planned.

She examined her surroundings once more, then wondered why the room seemed so different. That's when she remembered how she had lazily crawled into Weiss' bed instead of her own. Ruby felt an uneasiness wash over her as she stared at the lump beside her.

_There's no way. Could it be?_

Only one way to find out the answer to her thoughts.

Ruby cautiously reached over to whoever laid next to her, gripping at the edge of the cover. As carefully as she could manage, she pulled down the blanket to reveal who laid underneath.

Ruby's breath left her in relief when she recognized the face of her sister drooling happily in her sleep. She allowed herself to smile at the goofy image before covering her sister back up. Now that she had that mystery solved Ruby was left to wonder where her partner was.

Deciding that she wasn't going back to sleep without sating her curiosity, Ruby got out of the bed and stretched a bit. She moved around the bed silently, walking toward the other bunk to see who rested there.

Ruby was astonished to find Blake wasn't in her bed. In her place Weiss had slept, and looking to the top bunk she found Blake. It was weird seeing everyone not sleeping in their usual places. Guess this could count as an exercise in team bonding.

Satisfied with her findings, Ruby tip-toed back into Weiss' bed and snuggled close to the body heat of her sister. Absorbing the warmth emanating from her sister, Ruby soon found herself drifting back into slumber.

When team RWBY awoke they were glad that the day was a weekend. Everyone woke up feeling disoriented at the change of scenery. Blake nearly fell off of the top bunk that was Yang's bed, forgetting about the recent arrangement implemented last night. Unsurprisingly, Ruby was the first one to be up and about.

"Good morning team RWBY! The weekend has begun!" She shouted enthusiastically.

"Ugh. Ruby, can't you give us a minute before you shout." Weiss said grumpily, as she sat up in Blake's bed drowsily.

"Oops. Sorry Weiss, didn't mean to wake you up." Ruby said sheepishly.

Yang was heard moving off of Weiss' bed, letting out an loud yawn as she stretched out her limbs.

"Ah man! I had a great rest. How about you guys?" She looked at the other two girls.

"I don't see how you haven't fallen off this bed yet." Blake stated, still perched on Yang's bunk.

"Awww! Do you need me to help you down? Heh, it's like saving a kitten from out of a tree." Yang teased.

Blake gave her a stern look making Yang's chuckle die down.

"Ahahaha. Right, let me help ya down Blake."

As Yang went to help Blake not fall on her face, Weiss got out of bed and moved over to inspect her own.

"Yang, you shedded your hair all over my sheets." The pale girl complained.

"Hey! I don't shed!" The blonde exclaimed.

"Oh yeah. Then what's this?" Weiss raised a few fine strands of golden hair between her forefinger and thumb at Yang.

"Maybe they're Ruby's." She said nonchalantly.

"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed at her sister with a pout.

"Oh, okay. I'll clean up your bed later. Just let me take a shower first." Yang conceded.

Weiss nodded and made her way by the trash can to deposit the strands of hair she held.

"Alright then, but let us clean up first. You always take forever when you shower." Weiss said.

"Oh, c'mon. I don't take that long." Yang looked to her other two teammates for backup.

"Actually sis, you do take a long time." Ruby said as she nervously poked her forefingers together.

"You're record right now is three hours." Blake stated.

"Wait, you time me?" Yang looked at them incredulously.

"It gets kind of boring waiting for you." Ruby admitted.

"We used to make bets." Blake shrugged.

"Bets?!" Yang shouted.

"Yeah, but Ruby always won them, so we stopped." Weiss looked off to the side in an uncaring manner.

An awkward silence fell over the team before Yang caved.

"Oh, alright! Go take your showers or whatever." She threw her hands up in the air.

"I'll just clean the princess' bed while I wait." She mumbled.

Three cleaned members and one of Yang's fastest showers later, the team were walking around downtown Vale. They invited team JNPR to come along with them, for as the saying goes, "the more the merrier!"

The city was bustling with activity, more so than usual. The reason being a small fair assembled in honor of the shooting stars that would occur later on in the week. Everyone's eyes were lit with fascination and mirth at the decorations that were being placed. Nora, Jaune, Ruby, and Yang were the most exuberant of the group, while the others watched their teammates with amusement. Weiss was just as excited as them, though she was more into the planning and organizing than the actual event itself.

Some of the stands were already open. The smell of delicious foods being cooked and cheers of someone winning a game erupting around certain booths. The group stopped by a target shooting booth to observe the booth's manager testing the BB guns. While they watched, Ruby found her gaze wandering over toward Weiss. She noticed how her focus wasn't on the person playing, but one of the prizes hanging above the booth's awning. Ruby made sure to keep this specific booth in mind when the fair was fully active.

Although no one really planned on spending any Lien that day, Nora managed to convince the group to buy at least one thing from some of the open concession stands they passed by. Most of the treats and appetizers they tried were quite delicious. Ruby shared her food with Yang, who returned the favor by sharing her own. By the end of their little tour, they were all feeling quite satisfied. Well, except for Nora, she still had plenty of room for more.

There was still plenty of time left in the day to wander about some more, but JNPR had to opt out. Pyrrha and Jaune had scheduled for some training, and Ren had to take Nora back to the dorm due to the stomach ache she received from trying multiple varieties of food too hastily.

Team RWBY decided to go to the park for a short and quiet walk. The walk was indeed short, but quiet it was not. They happened upon an empty playground along the way, and like the children they were, Yang and Ruby couldn't resist playing on it. Although they were much too big and had to bend over or crouch in certain areas, they still managed to enjoy themselves. Playing a game of tag as they nimbly climbed on monkey bars, jungle gyms, and slides.

Blake elected to sit under the shade of a tree, Weiss following suit, as they observe their teammates' activities. Eventually Yang hit the top of her head on a bar while climbing up a slide, ceasing any further activities. The two sisters' trudged back to their partners, Yang now sporting a small lump and a pout. The blonde looked at her dark-haired partner with crocodile tears.

"Blakey, I got a boo-boo. Kiss it for me?" She laughed at the last part, not seriously meaning it.

"Okay."

Caught off guard by her response, Yang was easily pulled down by her vest as Blake brought her head down and pressed a light kiss on the sore spot.

"Feeling better?" Blake smirked.

Yang began stuttering, unable to make any coherent words come out. She stumbled as she had backed up quickly from Blake, looking at her with a flushed face. Feeling completely embarrassed, Yang staggered off toward the public restroom nearby.

Ruby was giggling at her sister's behavior, while Weiss covered her mouth to stifle her chuckle.

"Nice one Blake. I've never seen her like that before." Weiss commended her.

Blake smiled and nodded as she accepted Weiss' praise.

"Well I better go check on Yang." Ruby said as she started to head off.

"No, wait Ruby. I'll handle this." Blake surprised her. "I guess I should go apologize for embarrassing her."

Ruby nodded in understanding and watched Blake walk off. Not having anything else to do Ruby sat down beside Weiss as they waited for the return of the other duo. Ruby began fidgeting soon after sitting down. She didn't particularly like having nothing to occupy herself with, it made her feel anxious. A sigh from Weiss caught her attention before the older girl spoke.

"So, Yang and Blake. Wouldn't have expected it to be those two of all people."

Ruby perked up and smiled, understanding what Weiss was getting at.

"To tell you the truth, Yang's not very good with that sort of stuff." Ruby said.

"Oh really? Would you mind explaining?" Weiss asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, even though she make look it, and sometimes act like it, Yang isn't as much as a stereotypical party girl as she makes herself out to be." Ruby explained. "She's only ever been in a relationship with another person three different times."

"Really now?" Weiss wondered aloud.

"Yeah. She decided that being in a relationship was too much of a distraction from becoming a huntress, and watching over me."

"What about you, are you the real party girl of the two sisters?" Smirked Weiss in a teasing tone.

Ruby blushed slightly as the topic switched to her own relationship status.

"U- Um. No, I'm not a party girl." She chuckled sheepishly. "I've actually only ever been in one relationship." Ruby admitted.

"Oh?" Weiss leaned closer to her, her interest piqued. "What happened?"

Ruby began fidgeting once more, her nervousness growing inside of her. It was awkward talking to the current object of her affections about a past relationship.

"Let's just say that things didn't quite work out." Ruby mumbled.

Before Weiss could pry any further, Yang was heard yelling down at the two girls, Blake trailed behind her.

"Weiss and Ruby sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Yang sang out.

Weiss' face tinged pink then she stood up and began marching towards Yang angrily.

"Uh oh." Yang said before she began running around the playground to escape the furious heiress' wrath.

Ruby was relieved for the interruption. Thankful that Yang returned when she did. Ruby didn't like talking about a previous relationship with Weiss, it was a bit awkward, but it also raised some bad memories.

When Weiss used one of her glyphs to fling Yang into the air, they decided to call it a day and headed back to the academy.

When the team reached the academy, and deposited their things in the room, they split up. Weiss and Blake headed to the library, the prior to study and the latter to read in peace. Meanwhile the two sisters remained in the room, deciding to catch up on some sisterly bonding.

The two girls sat on the floor in the center of the room. Ruby pulled a brush through Yang's shimmering locks of gold. Gently untangling any knots she came across and smoothing out the rambunctious curls as best as she could. The two talked about various things. Recalling past adventures they shared as children, and updating each other on topics concerning the present.

"You know sis, you don't have to hold back anymore." Ruby said as she untangled another knot.

"Hm?" Yang hummed contentedly.

"I'm talking about Blake." This caught Yang's attention, as Ruby noticed her stiffen slightly.

"I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't have to keep yourself from going out with her for my sake." Ruby's movements slowed as she spoke.

"I've seen the way you act around her sis, I'm not that dense." She said gently.

"Just because I'm cursed doesn't mean you have to share my burden." Ruby stopped brushing then, and Yang remained unmoving as she listened to her sister speak.

"I don't want you to have to limit your life because of me. You should be able to live your life without restraints. Live it the way you want to." Ruby became quiet after that, and the two stayed in silence for a moment until Yang shifted.

She turned around to face Ruby, a halfhearted smile on her features. She raised a hand up against Ruby's cheek, and the young girl could feel her thumb stroke something wet off. It was then that Ruby realized she was crying, and Yang embraced her in a hug as Ruby sniffled into her shoulder. They remained that way for a while. Yang rubbing a hand comfortingly up and down Ruby's back until she calmed down.

"I'm sorry Yang. It's just- I want you to be happy." Ruby sat up on her own, rubbing one of her eyes.

"Oh Ruby, there's nothing for you to be sorry about." Yang said confident. "I'm happy knowing that you're safe, and that I can always see your smiling face when I wake up every day."

"Besides, there's no way you're being a burden. This is a choice I'm making, so I'm also not limiting myself." Yang patted her shoulder with assurance. Ruby nodded and sniffled a bit more.

"Your turn now!" Yang said cheerfully as she moved behind Ruby and began playing with her hair.

The two remained quiet, neither one sure of what to say. Yang was trying to braid the longer portion of Ruby's hair when she thought of something. A smile grew on her face.

"Remember when we were younger, I used to braid your hair all the time." Yang reminisced.

"Yeah, but back then I had let my hair grow out. Your hair used to be super short too." Ruby said, sounding much better than before.

"Haha. Yeah. I can't even remember what that looked like." Yang chuckled. Her fingers deftly moving to make another braid.

"You kind of looked like a boy." Ruby laughed. "I remember how girls would try to ask you out after school almost every day."

"Wha? Nah. You're exaggerating. It wasn't that often. Was it?" Yang finished a third braid, going for a fourth.

"Yup! It was pretty much every day. I couldn't believe how popular you were." Ruby giggled, her head shaking a little from the laughter.

"Hey now. Stand still, this one's tricky." Yang laughed along though, managing to finish the braid.

"Ta-da! Done!" Yang flourished at her handiwork before getting up to grab a mirror. "Whadya think?"

She held the mirror in front of Ruby, the young girl's cheeks puffed to stifle a laugh. Unable to contain it she burst out laughing.

"It looks horrible!" She shouted as she rolled on the floor in her fit of laughter.

Yang pouted slightly. "I didn't think it was too bad." She brightened up again at the sight of her sister's giggling.

"I guess it does look a bit silly though." She grinned.

Once Ruby had calmed down she sat up and grinned at Yang.

"Thanks sis."

"Thanks for making you look silly." Yang joked.

Ruby smiled. "Thank you, for cheering me up."

Yang couldn't help but bring Ruby into an embrace.

"That's what I'm here for." Yang said softly.

* * *

A young Ruby hummed a random tune to herself as she skipped around the edge of a large water fountain. It was situated in one of Vale's parks, her parents having taken the two sisters to play at the playground near the house while they cooked dinner.

Yang watched her from her spot on the swing set a few feet away, although a bit absentmindedly. It was nearing Ruby's seventh birthday, and Yang was deep in thought about what to get for her sister. Ruby was still too young to like the same things she did, and much too innocent to act needy or behave bratty for anything. The young girl never voiced her thoughts often, so it made it difficult for the blonde to figure out what to get for her.

As she sat there contemplating her vision was suddenly filled with flowers. Recoiling backwards from surprise, she fell out of the swing and landed awkwardly on her back. A tinkling bell of a giggle reached her ears when she looked up at the intruder.

"Look at what I got for you Yang!" The spirited little girl ran around the swing, once again thrusting at her the small flowers she picked.

"They look lovely Rooboo, thanks." Yang smiled as she accepted the bouquet.

Ruby giggled as she scampered away to pick more flowers in the field. Yang sighed and stood up to follow after the energetic tyke.

"Y'know RuRu, if ya keep picking flowers there won't be any left for the park to stay pretty." Yang said.

Ruby looked up at her astonished, then looked down guiltily at the flowers she already picked in her hand. Yang saw a pout coming, and the inevitable kicked puppy look that would soon follow. Quickly she came up with something to distract her.

"Hey Rubes, y'know what special day is coming soon?"

Ruby shook her head and looked up at her sister expectantly for the answer.

"It's gonna be your birthday soon!" Yang mustered as much cheer as she could in the sentence.

Ruby perked up straight away, a big smile brightening her face. Yang let herself relax, glad that her idea worked.

"Am I going to get cakes and cookies?" The bundle of joy squealed delightedly.

"Haha! You betcha!" Yang gave her a thumbs up.

"Yay!" Ruby cheered. Shooting her hands up in the air, the flowers she had picked all but forgotten.

Yang ruffled her sister's hair playfully, making the younger giggle.

"C'mon Rose bud. It's getting late, we should head back home."

"Okay."

Yang wanted Ruby's birthday morning to be great. She didn't think things would turn out like this.

Yang had awoken in the middle of the night to the sounds of rustling bed sheets below her bunk. Groggily she sat up and rubbed at her eyes, wondering what all the commotion was about.

"Little Rose, what are you doing down there?" She asked tiredly.

Yang didn't receive an answer, instead the sheets stopped rustling and the room became dead quiet. The silence unnerved Yang, who decided to peer over the bed to see what her little sister was up to.

"Ruby?"

As Yang peeked over the edge, she was met with two glaring red eyes.

She let out a scream before tumbling off the bed onto the floor with a loud thud. Regaining her senses, she looked up to still see those glowing red eyes. For some strange reason she couldn't bring herself to scream this time.

The thumping of her parents' footsteps from outside the room made the creature look away from her. Briefly it laid its eyes on the door before charging out of the window, glass shattering upon its exit.

Her father and mother rushed into the room shortly after it left, their expressions distressed and worried.

"Yang?! Are you alright? What happened?" Her father asked as he looked her over for any wounds.

Summer rushed to the shattered window, peering out into the night in search of an intruder.

"I'm okay daddy." Yang said.

"Yang, where is Ruby?" Her mother asked suddenly.

"What?" Yang looked at her mother confused.

Summer stood beside the bunk, overlooking Ruby's bed.

"Where is Ruby?" She repeated more sternly.

Yang gulped. "I- I don't know."

Wait. She probably did know where Ruby was, but it's not something her parents would believe.

"Um, mom?" Yang started nervously. "I think a Beowolf ate Ruby." She nearly sobbed.

The two adults looked at her incredulously before her father gave her a stern look.

"Now young lady, this is no time for your pranks."

"But dad, this isn't a prank! I'm telling the truth!" Yang pleaded.

Summer put a hand out to stop her husband from speaking, locking eyes with Yang.

"Yang, tell me exactly what you saw."

_Free. Free. FREE!_

The Beowolf thought as it sped through the small neighborhood into a forested area nearby. The creature waited too long to have this freedom, to have this control. It had been trapped in that pathetic human body for too long.

As it sped past trees, the beast could feel something, a presence, push at it for control. The Beowolf found the attempt annoying, easily crushing the presence back into its cage.

_This is mine now. I earned the right to keep it. You can't have it back. It's mine. Not yours. So go away._

However it seemed the presence would not give up, as it continued to fight back. In the distance howls were heard, other Beowolves were somewhere nearby. The Beowolf paused in its course, returning the howls with one of its own. It was then it felt the small presence cease its prodding. Satisfied by this, the Beowolf traveled further into the woods, entering a clearing with a pond.

Seeing the liquid the beast decided to drink, curious as to what the sensation would feel like as this would be its first experience. As it was tilting its head over the water it could see its reflection. The red glow of its eyes shining brightly against the greys and blacks of everything else. Before it could take its drink, a pale figure appeared in the reflection from the woods behind it.

Quickly turning about, the Beowolf bared its fangs at the intruder only to find nothing was there. Confused, it sniffed the air but could not find any trace of a scent. A voice called out to it then, startling the beast as it briefly tucked its tail between its legs.

"You don't have to be afraid of me. I would never harm you." The mysterious voice whispered.

The Beowolf felt no security in those meager words. Choosing to bare its fangs at the empty air around it. A rustle of branches was heard from its right, and it faced that direction, ready for a fight.

However, as the figure made its appearance the Beowolf lost all need of violence and fear. A single thought from the other presence rang out through its mind. Something that even a beast like itself understood that this being was important to them.

_"Mother."_

Summer noticed how the small Beowolf froze up, no longer seeming eager for a fight. Taking the opportunity, she slowly approached the creature, making sure to not frighten the beast once more.

The Beowolf didn't move, but it didn't retaliate when she reached out a hand and placed it on its muzzle.

"There, there now. It's okay. Everything is alright." She cooed.

The little Beowolf flinched at the contact at first, but it soon relaxed on its haunches, bewildered at this being known as 'Mother'.

"Tell me, is my little Rose there with you?" Mother asked.

The Beowolf wasn't sure who this Rose was, but when the word was spoken the small presence in its mind seemed to have reacted to it.

_Rose? _The creature thought.

_ "Me, me! That's me!"_ The Beowolf could hear a small voice chime earnestly.

Within that moment, the two unknowingly created a connection.

Focusing back on Mother, the Beowolf tilted its head up and down once. Mother seemed to really like that, since she smiled down at it. The Beowolf felt a sense of pride wash over it, causing it to pant happily while wagging its tail. Mother began stroking its fur, scratching behind the ears which were difficult to get at with the bone mask.

"You're such a small thing." Mother stated absentmindedly.

"May I see my little Rose again?" She asked suddenly.

The Beowolf stopped its jovial demeanor at this, backing away from Mother with a low growl.

"Ah. It seems you don't much like that idea." Mother said thoughtfully.

The Beowolf watched her carefully, waiting to see what her next move would be.

"I suppose it's only rational that you want to keep this form. After all, you've been trapped for a very long time." Mother said.

The Beowolf calmed down, sitting once again as it tilted its head to one side, curious.

"I think we can come to an arrangement then." Mother smiled then.

* * *

After Yang had explained what she saw, her mother immediately left, grabbing her white cloak on her way out the door.

Summer didn't return until the next day with Ruby in her arms, she was unharmed and sleeping.

Yang wasn't sure what was going on until she overheard one of her parents' hushed conversations. They had mentioned the word 'Cursed' a few times. It was then she had an idea of what was going on. Yang had learned about the Cursed in school, something that was briefly taught in history lessons.

When Ruby finally awoke from her rest, she got up frightened. She was constantly whimpering under a blanket and wouldn't come out no matter what Yang said. Soon Summer came in to reassure her, while their father paced back and forth distressed.

Ruby's birthday party was cancelled that day, and no one was allowed into the house, save for uncle Qrow. It had gotten late by then, the adults discussing Ruby's condition in the kitchen after sending the two girls to bed. It had taken a while for Ruby to fall asleep, but when she did Yang felt it safe to rest as well.

During the middle of the night, when everyone had gone to bed, Yang could hear Ruby whimpering in the bunk below. Having had enough of her sister being sad, Yang climbed down to comfort her.

"Hey, Ruby?" Yang started tentatively.

She could only see a lump huddled under the blankets, seeming to shrink further when Yang spoke. She could hear Ruby sniffling from underneath it.

Yang sat at the edge of the bed, noticing how the lump that was Ruby became completely still. Yang reached a hand out to her, but retracted it back.

_What was she supposed to do?_

She had no idea what Ruby was going through. She didn't want to make the situation worse by saying something unnecessary. Yang curled her small fist in frustration.

How was she supposed to protect her little sister when she was so helpless?

An epiphany occurred to her then, almost as if it were a message sent from some deity to guide her.

Gulping nervously, Yang began to sing.

"Dream of anything; I'll make it all come true. Anything you need, is all I have for you." Yang's voice was shaky.

She was so nervous when she saw no immediate reaction from Ruby. At least it seemed like she had stopped crying, the muffled sniffles having ceased.

"I'm so happy, just to have you here. Your smiles bring me sunshine, my worries disappear."

A slight movement from the bed sheets urged Yang on, motivating her to continue.

"When the days turn dark, and we start to fall. I will pick you up, and we will fix it all."

Yang grinned as she saw Ruby's messy dark hair poke out of the blanket. She peeked over the edge of it at her, but in the shadows it was still difficult to see her face clearly.

"Don't you worry about the dark, I will light up the night with the love in my heart." Yang felt more confident now, her emotions being conveyed in the words.

"I will burn like the sun. I will keep you safe and warm."

At this, Yang tried to spark a bit of her Semblance, it wasn't much but it did manage to light up the area around the bed.

Yang gasped in surprise when she saw the part of Ruby's face uncovered by the blanket. At this, the little girl ducked her head under the covers again, curling in on herself once more.

Yang didn't hesitate this time when she grabbed the covers and pulled them off of Ruby roughly. Ruby scrambled to get the covers back in vain. Realizing this she tried to cover her face, but what was seen could not be ignored.

Ruby's face was covered partially by a bone-like mask. Bright red markings covered the mask, a seemingly random series of tribal designs decorating it. At the bottom edge, where the jaw line would be, sharp fangs protruded. The points of the fangs leaving small cuts on the skin of Ruby's hands.

Yang felt pitiful, seeing her precious sister hurting so, and she didn't even realize it.

Ruby sniffled into her hands, trying her best to ignore the pain her tears caused when they pooled in the cuts.

Yang would definitely hate her now. She looked like a monster, and there was no way Yang would want to be related to a monster.

She stiffened, and a gasp of shock slipped past her lips when she felt a pair of arms embrace her. Ruby wanted to cry again, but this time not out of sadness.

"Y- You don't h- hate m- me?" She managed to stutter through her sobs.

Yang rubbed a hand up and down Ruby's back, trying to get her to calm down.

"No. I would never hate you Ruby." Yang said with such conviction, Ruby knew her words to be true.

Ruby finally wrapped her small arms around Yang, gripping her clothing tightly in her tiny fists.

"I'm scared." She whispered.

"Don't worry sis, I'm here for you." Yang assured her. "I'll always be by your side."

Ruby clutched onto Yang as if she would disappear.

"Yang?" She mumbled against her clothing. "Can you sing to me again?"

"Sure thing Rubes." Yang said happily.

Yang was able to sing out most of her song, making up the lyrics as she went along. Soon Ruby had fallen asleep in her arms, snoring softly against her.

Yang smiled down at her sister, stroking her hair lovingly.

"Happy birthday sis."

* * *

**A/N: After reading my pal's writing of this AU, I felt like implementing the sisters bonding idea in this chapter. I have a feeling I may edit certain sentences in the future, but for now I'm gonna just post it so you won't have to wait any longer. Give me some criticism, I know I need it. Especially since I have no idea where I'm taking this story XD. Going with the flow, y'know? Anyways thanks for reading!**


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